I Promise
by xXDark.Lord.MeloniousXx
Summary: A New Year's gift; Harry and Draco luff tiem. Harry goes to the Astronomy Tower, looking to avoid his friends and finds a certain, sulking Prince of Slytherin.
1. Chapter 1

**A New Year's gift! Harry and Draco super fluff, a little angst, fun for the whole family! :D Happy New Years, everyone! Thanks for all the support this year, you guys are the best!**

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"You're going to stay up, right?"

Harry nodded, "Yeah, of course."

"You promise?"

"Yeah, I promise."

Ginny smiled, blushing, "A-alright, then…I'll see you later."

He simpered weakly, unable to tell her that he never meant to lead her on by the obscure comment that he'd be available that night. He turned and walked away, a weight lifting off his shoulders as he left her company. Harry wasn't a bad person, he knew that well enough, but somehow Ginny's presence became more and more of a bother over time. And now he was expected to spend New Year's night with her? He sighed, running a hand through his messy, ebony hair before running up the stone steps to his dormitory and taking his bag from his bed. He needed a notebook he had left in the Astronomy room and considering he did not want to rush to Ginny's side he resolved that he would go to the room, peak at a few textbooks and try to prepare for their test for the next day; hopefully that would be a reasonable enough excuse to be late to the fireworks by the lake. The entire school would be gathering there, New Years was always such a gigantic celebration and Hermione and Ron had beat him there. Hermione went to aid in decorations and Harry supposed Ron was hoping there'd be a ladder Hermione would be climbing to give him a peak up her skirt. They always fought, but Harry was positive now that he could see through their little charade; he knew how Ron felt about her. However, Hermione was so sensitive to most everything that Harry couldn't quite tell if she felt the same or not. Harry thought maybe that should be his New Year's resolution; to fix up Hermione and Ron. Then he inwardly slapped himself; exactly how many ways could that good intention go horribly wrong, he asked himself.

He exited the dormitory and took his sweet time on each moving staircase, eating away at the clock, he hoped. He rubbed his temples, knowing deep down he could not run out the festival; there were four hours until midnight. There is never a good reason to be in a classroom after hours for four more. He groaned to himself, distracting his tired mind with the sound of teenage laughter and joking outside the castle. He stepped onto another staircase moving left and as he walked up, holding to the railing with his bag hitting his waist he noted to himself that it had been one official year of freedom from the Dark Lord. Although Harry should have felt proud, he was always one to blame himself. So many people died during battle and so many families were torn apart because of those executed by the Dementors as punishment for working with Voldemort. Most of the Slytherin students' parents were part of that percentage. He was sixteen and had had the world carried on his back since he was born, and he used to think that once the Dark Lord was vanquished that the weight would shift or loosen or leave completely. It didn't, though. It only changed form. Rather than the load of responsibility breaking his spine, it was guilt and worthlessness. He stepped off the moving stairs and into a long and empty, narrow hall. He listened to the rhythm of his footsteps bounce off the walls and pound on his ears, all the portraits asking why he wasn't outside helping pretty the castle.

He brushed them off, he wasn't in the mood to answer questions, his mind was lazy and his heart was tired. When did the years start dragging? He was only sixteen. He made it to the Astronomy room and welcomed himself inside, assuming no one was inside. He was terribly wrong, as usual.

"Malfoy?"

The blonde was leaning against the stone threshold to the balcony. He looked to Harry, his body stiffening visibly; Harry had never seen Draco looking so uneasy before.

"What are you doing here?"

He wondered what a popular boy like Draco Malfoy was exactly doing all alone in the Astronomy tower, after hours on an occasion like New Years Eve. Harry cringed at the sound of the door slamming behind him, it's heaviness unable to sustain the opening he had left it in. He looked back at Draco, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly,

"I, uhm, left a notebook in here and I…we have a test tomorrow so I thought I'd…uhm…study…what are you doing here?"

Draco looked away, "I dunno. Thinking."

Harry approached the figure drenched in moonlight, requesting, "Mind if I…uhm…stick around?"

The mysterious prince of Slytherin didn't give Harry so much as a glance before muttering indifferently, "Whatever floats your boat, Potter."

He walked over to his desk, eyeing Draco through his peripheral vision, silently suspicious that the boy may pull out his wand at any given moment. He retrieved his notebook that was abandoned on the table top and found himself bolted to the spot, staring at the other boy. The Astronomy tower had the most beautiful view of the sky and mountains surrounded by water; the stars twinkled like immeasurable diamonds and gave the bully an angelic glow. His ice blue eyes slowly moved to Harry's, his expression completely stoic, though; Harry didn't know what to do, to leave immediately or stay in the ghostly company of the recently orphaned Draco Malfoy.

"Do you…want me to leave?" Harry questioned, his hands twitching uncomfortably.

Draco seemed to consider the idea before responding quietly,

"Not particularly."

Harry felt a tug by the corner of his mouth, acting on the semi-invitation by walking over to the stone archway and leaning against the opposite bend. He watched Draco's stare move to his fiddling fingers, then watched his full lips part although no sound escaped them for almost a minute until he began,

"I, uhm…" His brows tightened, "I…wanted to…let you know that I'm not angry at you."

Harry's eyes widened, "What?"

"I wanted to let you know that I'm not angry at you for what happened to my parents. It was their own fault for getting sucked into that world. And I…"

Harry watched the boy struggle to find his wording; it was cute, kind of. The way Draco Malfoy, the spoiled prince of Slytherin was suddenly so lost and nervous looking. It charmed Harry.

"I wanted to…uhm…apologize."

Harry choked on a breath he was intaking, dropping his book bag and notebook on the floor before holding his chest and fighting to breathe. Draco was taken aback at the sudden boisterous sound and he finally looked back at Harry, that all familiar scowl painted onto his face,

"Screw you, Potter, it's not that surprising!"

Harry was still coughing, but covered his mouth with the hand opposite of the one hitting his virile chest-plates as struggled to reply, "N-no, it's no-ot that, I-I just cho-oked on air…"

Draco rolled his eyes, "Nevermind, maybe I was right about you. You sodding idiot."

Harry finally cleared the pain from his throat and interviewed, "Uhm…why…would you apologize?"

Draco looked back at him, "I wanted to say sorry for the nasty stuff I did and said to you the past couple years."

Harry wondered if he was asleep or suffering a very realistic hallucination; did Draco Malfoy just apologize for being himself? That was him, wasn't it? Draco Malfoy was the cruelest, meanest, most spoiled, controlling, attention-grabbing and close-minded prejudice Slytherin nasty there ever was, wasn't he? Harry watched the boy glance out to the black sky sprinkled with the miles of silver pixie dust, then to the floor again, his arms crossing over his chest as he muttered weakly,

"I was…under the Imperius most of the time, to be honest. I don't remember a lot of what I did…over the past couple years, really, I just…it's mostly blurs, but I know we haven't been the best of friends, you and me. I'm sorry for that."

Harry blushed lightly, "Wow…you…you really can't remember the past five years?"

Draco chuckled nearly inaudibly, "Yeah…I've never…apologized to anyone before. Was that…good? Do you forgive me or am I supposed to kiss your feet or something?"

Harry laughed shortly, "No, that was, uhm, very good. Yeah, I forgive you. I think, though, that I have much more to be sorry for when it comes to you, Draco."

Harry's heart stopped at seeing an unprecedented expression on Draco's handsome face; his ivory hair was brushed through lightly by the wind, his lashes that matched his hair (which Harry found unexplainably beautiful) flickered, his bright, aquamarine eyes widening in what could have been shock as his few cinnamon freckles were powdered with a visible fluster. His high cheekbones were notably red and it leaked into his ears as his thick lips fell apart again and he stated,

"That's the first time you called me by my first name."

Harry couldn't stand the adorable behavior of his one-time nemesis, it made his heart thump and melt in his butterfly-infested chest and stomach. He smirked,

"You're turn."

"You're forgiven, Harry."

The charcoal-haired boy blushed furiously, his pulse practically freezing in his veins,

"…I…what?"

Draco smiled, taking a few steps closer to Harry and clasping his hand onto Harry's shoulder before he repeated,

"You are forgiven, Harry."

Harry felt tears welling up in his eyes, the words sinking into his skin and giving wings to the heavy load on his back, and with the echoing whisper of Draco's soft, alto voice embracing his pounding heart, that horrible guilt left him. He wiped at his emerald eyes before the tears could fall, his throat feeling hot and thick. Draco took his hand away, chuckling worriedly,

"S-Sorry, I didn't mean to make you cry, Harry-che-never knew you were so sensitive."

Harry glared but a wide smile spread across his face, "Shut up, Draco…thank you."

Draco blinked slowly, his eyes locked onto the handsome Chosen One reduced to messy emotions. He sighed,

"Well, tell me about your year, Harry. Any resolutions completed?"

Harry looked back up at him,

"No actually. I haven't a clue to what I'll be resolving to do for this year either."

"Well then, let's you and me work it out."


	2. Chapter 2

Harry and Draco had eventually moved completely onto the balcony, Draco sitting on the ledge with Harry on the stone floor, his legs crossed and notebook out in front of him. Harry had realized the year before that although he had very messy handwriting that he had exceptional artistic skills; he was attempting to draw Draco. Harry had let hours pass, talking about his year with Draco and they both discussed the madness of the final battle, the people they missed and the fun things they were glad they got to do and say. Harry had been laughing at a surprisingly funny story Draco told when he heard Dumbledore speaking by the lake, just a tiny speck in front of the lake. Draco looked down to the ground, his smile fading,

"The fireworks are going to start soon. You have plans, don't you? You should go."

Harry looked at his watch; he had let three and a half hours pass by, sitting there with Draco Malfoy. He laughed to himself; he never would have imagined the day. He was reluctant to go as the somehow graceful and eerily angelic aura of the revealed Draco Malfoy had grown on him. In fact, those past three and a half hours were filled with flusters, laughter and thumping hearts. Harry hadn't enjoyed another person's company as much as he enjoyed Draco's in a long, long time. He sighed, looking down at the sketchy portrait he had half-completed on his loose-leaf.

"I don't want to go."

Draco shot him a strange, questioning look,

"You don't want to? Won't the Weasley girl be looking for you?"

Harry moaned, his head hitting against the stone in irritation, "I'm sorry, but I'm sick of hearing and thinking of her…she's obsessed with me, but when I think about her I just feel…tired and bored…"

Draco seemed surprised, "Really?"

Harry noticed what he had said and almost regretted it; he sounded so mean.

"Yeah, but, uhm…can that be between us?"

Draco smirked, "Who am I gonna tell?"

Harry went to answer, but recalled that Draco had lost both of his body guards/ friends in the final battle against Voldemort. He reviewed in his mind; an only child abused and manipulated by dark magic from infancy, forced to hate all those he wished to be with, isolated himself emotionally and occasionally physically from the outside world, lost his fiancé (that was betrothed to him at birth) and his only two friends during the goriest fight in magical history. Not only that, but he lost his parents to the Ministry's merciless prisons and there he was, pouring his memories out onto the one person he was born to compete against; Harry Potter. Harry nodded, smiling,

"Draco, you've never really…tried to be my friend before…I'm wondering if there's anything you've ever wanted to ask me?"

The blonde seemed embarrassed; put on the spot. He looked down, bashfulness filling his features, making Harry even more enchanted by his cute personality. He didn't look to Harry as he muttered,

"Well, I…I know you must get this all the time, but…can I see it?"

Harry's coy smile played on his face more widely as he stood up, resting his notebook on top of the ledge and walked over to Draco. He moved the tuffs of hair from in front of his face, revealing the lightning bolt on his forehead. He watched as Draco's eyes lit up in fascination and he stared in wonderment, a curious pout on his brimful lips. Harry watched Draco's hand lift hesitantly toward his face, then red crept onto Harry's face as the boy's innocent voice shimmered through the dark of the approaching midnight,

"U-uhm…can I touch it?"

Harry swallowed inaudibly, his heart fluttering at the perverse ideas bubbling his mind's eye as he nodded and initiated Draco's hand to begin moving again. His dexterous hand came to Harry's flattered countenance, his spidery fingers running ever so gently against the somewhat rigid scar on his otherwise satin skin. Draco simpered sadly,

"I know you must be praised constantly, Harry, but you really are brave."

Harry looked away, trying to bleach the red that stained his face,

"I'm sorry to disappoint, but…honestly, I barely did anything. Everyone was always helping me and…I never did anything alone."

"Only a coward goes at the world alone," Draco began, running his thumb over the scar tenderly, "because only a coward fears failure. A true hero never allows glory to only be his, he spreads peace and thanks to all those who sculpted him. Not even Hercules could do it alone, and he was a God. You should never be ashamed of the fact that you couldn't do it alone; if anything at all, it only proves you are what you've always been called."

Harry's blush deepened as he backed away; he was nervous, almost uncomfortable, but he didn't want to leave. He liked Draco, he liked the way he spoke, his diction, he liked the way he looked, the expressions he used and the way his platinum hair would slip in front of his indigo eyes when he bent his head and looked up from under his lashes. And his smile; oh, if Harry had ever known Draco Malfoy had such a smile. His canines were long, like a mischievous dog or a hungry vampire, they were all as white and bright as the twinkling stars and perfectly straight. Pointed features, high cheekbones, cinnamon freckles, satin, ivory hair, light yet not pale skin, long lashes and athletic, Quidditch-toned build. He was beautiful, deafeningly, terrifyingly beautiful. And Harry was hypnotized.

"I should…go."

Draco nodded, "Alright. Have fun down there."

Harry frowned, already missing Draco but more upset that Draco would not be surrounded by friends and family at the start of the new year. Harry picked up his bag and notebook, but before he reached the door the unfinished drawing of Draco called his attention. He looked back, seeing only Draco's handsome profile, milky white and navy blue shadows and lights of the moon playing on him. Harry's arms lowered a bit, his shoulders relaxing from a stress he hadn't known he had until the moment they loosened,

"Hey, Draco…"

The boy looked to him, the shadows and hues changing position,

"Yes?"

"What was your resolution? Did you complete it?"

He looked away, a timid smile replacing his indifference,

"Yeah. I wanted to get to know you and explain myself before I left."

Harry's heart stopped, "What? What do you mean before you leave?"

Draco still would not look Harry in the eyes, "Well, Severus was my Godfather and now that he's dead along with my parents and most of my family…I'm really alone now. I'm a minor still, so I'll be transferred to a foster family most likely. Until I'm eighteen, I've got to be paid for and watched after. I was thinking I may not come back to Hogwarts next year…I should start my life as a muggle, out there in the world they own, you know? Make some changes to my history, switch around some documents, maybe change my name…I dunno…but I wanted to get to talk to you before then."

Harry stepped closer, "You said a hero doesn't go it alone, out there in the world, right? Why are you…why are you making yourself so alone?"

Draco looked down to his hands in his lap, his threads of platinum hair darkening his features,

"I'm not scared to admit I'm a coward. I'm not an idiot either; it sucks being alone. But everyone is better off without me, I just cause trouble. It's easier if I'm alone."

Harry and Draco shot their faces to the mountains and sky, fireworks beginning to set off and voices cheering and yelling out from far away. Harry's brows knit,

"I don't want you to be alone."

Draco rolled his eyes again, "It's not like that, I-"

"No," Harry interjected, storming towards Draco, gathering eye-contact, "not about you, not you, this is about me. _I_ don't want you to be alone, Draco."

The blonde flustered, "I…I…don't know…uhm…"

Harry dropped his bag and book by the desks he passed; he almost violently gripped Draco's upper-arm, forcing him against Harry's chest-plate.

"I have a resolution." He looked at Draco, blushing wildly and like a tickling virus it worked its way onto Draco's expression as well, "I won't let you be alone, Draco. Not after tonight. After this very moment I want…I want you to know that even if the world's falling apart, I'm here…just for you. You wanted to know me…well…I want…"

Their gaze hardened, hot colors bursting behind Draco's gorgeous face and quizzical pout as Harry attempted to finish,

"I want…just you…"

He watched Draco's eyes widen in endearing shock again as the crowd rang out,

"**Five!"**

"Really?" Draco begged, his voice weak and fragile sounding.

"**Four!"**

"Really, Draco, I want you…you don't cause me any trouble, I love being around you…"

"**Three!"**

"Then you promise?" His eyes began to water, "Promise to stay?"

"**Two!"**

"I promise."

Draco's grip tightened on Harry's shirt, pulling him down and forcing their lips together…

"**One!---HAPPY NEW YEARS!"**

Harry's heart pounded like thunder in his ears, the warm and moist feeling of Draco's thick and soft lips against his, their mouths moving against each other so perfectly; it made his chest swell, it made his head spin, it made his pulse beat. He loved it. He loved Draco. He didn't want to scare the boy, though, so he dare not say a word of his profound feeling. They tore away from each other, Draco and Harry both highlighted by flashing colors exploding in the sky. Harry laughed,

"Well…I guess I have an excuse for being late, huh?"

Draco laughed nervously until Harry asked,

"You'll…you'll stay now, next year, now, right?"

Draco looked up at him cutely, his face red like a cherry, "Uhm, yeah, I could manage that."

"You promise?"

His kiss-swollen lips spread into his killer grin and he beamed with the divine rays surrounding him with halos of blue, green, pink, yellow, white and red. He simply replied,

"I promise."

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**Happy New Years!**


End file.
